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The New Age of Generalizing Specialists

Posted May 9, 2019 | Leadership |
The New Age of Generalizing Specialists

An organization seeking to become Agile should look to have a preponderance of generalizing specialists on their teams. There is, of course, room for some pure specialists, but too often businesses seek to hire a Python or Linux or Docker guru, when what they really need is someone “good enough” at one of those specialties but who also has broader technological and business understandings. Certainly, hiring a generalizing specialist may have some short-term downside in terms of cranking out the next couple of specialized projects, but most often that cost will be repaid several times over because it will create more cohesive and Agile teams in the long run.

About The Author
Gene Callahan
Gene Callahan is an Industry Associate Professor of Computer Science at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, where he teaches one of the first DevOps courses in the US. Dr. Callahan worked for two decades as a software engineer and manager. He is the author of Economics for Real People and Oakeshott on Rome and America. Dr. Callahan holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a PhD from Cardiff University… Read More
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